Movable display device or toy



May 19, 1959 J. J. RATH MovABLE: DISPLAY DEVICE 0R Toy Filed Jan. 2, 1959 INVENTOR. JosEPH RAW-a United States Patent O MDVABLE DISPLAY DEVICE R TOY Joseph J. Rath, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Arvey `Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application January 2, 1959, Serial No. 784,518`

Claims. (Cl. 4033) This invention relates to improvements in a display device or toy which produces animated effects with a simpliiied structure containing a minimum number of economical elements.

One of the features of the present invention resides in an advertising display device or childrens toy in which a plurality of elements may be attractively moved with the expenditure of a minimum amount of energy.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a device of the character described which contains a minimum number of essential parts all of which may be economically fabricated and assembled.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawing and following detailed description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a device embodying the concepts of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the device shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. l.

Referring in detail to the drawing, l indicates generally a display device or toy embodying the concepts of the present invention. The device 1 comprises spaced supports 2 and 3 which may comprise opposite walls of a container having a top 4 and a suitable bottom (not shown). The container may comprise a front wall 5 and a rear wall 6, the front wall being provided with a sight opening 7. If desired, the rear wall 6 may also be provided with a similar sight opening.

A shaft 8 is journaled in a bearing 9 secured to the support 2 and a shaft 10 is journaled in bearing 11 similarly mounted on support 3. A disc 12 of relatively large diameter is secured to shaft 8 by means of winged nut 13 and in similar fashion, a disc 14 of relatively small diameter is secured to shaft by winged nut 1S.

It is to be understood that supports 2 and 3 may comprise any type of vertical supports spaced from each other and need not necessarily comprise walls of a container. ln addition, discs 12 and 14 need not be circular discs, as shown, but could comprise spiders (not shown) respectively having arms substantially proportional in radial length to the respective diameters of the discs shown.

ln the operation of the device, the discs 12 and 14 rotate in timed relationship to each other and although the discs are respectively mounted on separate shafts 8 and 10, both discs may, if desired, be mounted on a single shaft which extends from one disc to the other.

Any suitable means may be employed for rotating the discs, and for purposes of description shaft 8 carries a sheave 16 over which a driving belt 17 is trained, said belt also being trained over sheave 18 carried by the shaft of a motor 19 carried upon support 2. Thus, motor 19 functions to drive disc 12, and if a single connecting shaft were used between the spaced discs, disc 14 could also be driven.

As a feature of the present invention a plurality of 2,886,908 Patented May 19, 1959 ICC spokes 20 extend from adjacent the periphery of disc12 to adjacent the periphery of disc 14, said spokes being rigidly secured to the discs and being angularly spaced apart. Where the discs 12 and 14 are mounted upon separate shafts, as shown, the spokes are relatively rigid and drive disc 14 from disc 12 without any substantial relative torsion. If a single shaft is employed, the spokes may be constructed of lighter weight and of less rigid stock since the driving force for disc 14 would then be borne by the connecting shaft.

It will be noted that as the discs rotate, the spokes progressively occupy two extreme inclined positions opposed to each other. That is, when a spoke reaches its uppermost position on each disc, as viewed in Fig. 3, the spoke is inclined from disc 12 downwardly to disc 14 and conversely, when each spoke reaches its lowermost position, the spoke is inclined downwardly from disc 14 to disc 12.` Of course, during rotation of the discs the spokes occupy intermediate positions between the vertical extremes noted.

To lend attractiveness to the display or interest to the toy, objects, such as balls 21 provided with bored open ings, are threaded upon the spokes 20, one or more ball to each spoke. The balls are loosely positioned on the spokes and can slide thereon freely. Thus, as the discs rotate the balls progressively occupy unstable positions and tend to slide back and forth from disc to disc when the inclinations of the spokes exceed the angle of repose of the respective balls.

The objects, herein described as balls, may take any desired form or configuration and may be attractively colored or decorated or may carry advertising messages. If used as an advertising display, the sight opening may be restricted in dimension to expose, for instance, only the extreme vertical positions of the spokes whereby the objects can be seen only when the spokes occupy their extreme vertical positions.

Many modifications and variations of the invention may be made by anyone skilled in the art Without departing from the basic concept thereof and, hence, it is not intended that the invention be limited except as necessitated by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A display device or toy which comprises in combination, two substantially vertically disposed horizontally spaced supports, a frame of predetermined diameter rotatably carried by one support, a second frame of lesser diameter rotatably carried by the other support, a plurality of spokes connecting the peripheries of the two frames, said spokes being angularly spaced from each other around the peripheries of said frames, a member slidably positioned on each spoke, and means for rotating said frames about a common axis.

2. A display device or toy which comprises in combination, two substantially vertically disposed horizontally spaced supports, a frame of predetermined diameter rotatably carried by one support, a second frame of lesser diameter rotatably carried by the other support, a plurality of relatively rigid spokes connecting the two frames whereby said frames rotate in timed relationship with each other, one end of each spoke being carried adjacent the periphery of one frame and being connected at its opposite end to the second frame adjacent. its periphery, said spokes being angularly spaced from each other around the periphery of said frames, a member slidably positioned on each spoke, and means for rotating said frames about a common axis.l

3. A display device or toy which comprises in combination, two substantially vertically disposed horizontally spaced supports, a disc of predetermined diameter rotatably carried by one support, a second disc of lesser' diameter rotatably carried by the other support, a plu-- rality of spokes connecting the peripheries of the two discs, said spokes being angularly spaced from each other around the periphery of said dises, a member slidably positioned on each spoke, and means for rotating said frames about a common axis.

4. A display device or toy which comprises in combination, two substantially vertically disposed horizontally spaced supports, a frame of predetermined diameter rotatably carried by one support, a second frame of lesser diameter rotatably carried by the other support, a plurality of spokes connecting the two frames, one end of each spoke being carried adjacent the periphery of one frame and being connected to the second frame adjacent its periphery, said spokes being angularly spaced from each other around the periphery of said frames, a member slidably positioned on each spoke, and means for rotating said frames about a common axis to progres sively incline said spokes downwardly from one frame to they other to cause said members to slide upon said spokes from one frame to the other.

5. A display device which comprises in combination,

a display container having two substantially vertically disposed horizontally spaced side walls and an open faced front Wall, a dise of predetermined diameter rotatably carried by one side Wall Within the container, a second disc of lesser diameter coaXially rotatably carried by the other side Wall within the container, a plurality of rigid spokes connecting the peripheral portions of the two discs together whereby rotation of one disc rotates the other disc in timed relationship therewith, said spokes being angularly spaced from each other around the periphery of said discs, a display member slidably positioned on each spoke, and means for rotating one of said frames to progressively incline said spokes downwardly from one dise to the other to cause said members to slide upon said spokes from one disc to the other, said movement being visible through the open face of the front wall of the display container.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 156,773 Shaper Ian. 3, 1950 

